Doblin: Mastro report was supposed to be funny

By ALFRED P. DOBLIN

The Record

Alfred P. Doblin is the editorial page editor of The Record. Contact him at doblin@northjersey.com. Follow AlfredPDoblin on Twitter.

AP

Gov. Chris Christie

GOVERNOR Christie can’t be laughing. That is assuming he read at least part of an exhaustive article in The New York Times on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s commission to investigate corruption in state government.

The crux of the Times article was that Cuomo did not give his self-created commission free rein. Some doors were closed and those doors often led to the governor. Not being an expert on New York politics or the workings of Albany or Cuomo’s front office, I cannot comment on whether the Times piece is a fair representation of the three. But a quote from a statement sent from Cuomo’s office to The New York Times cannot be ignored.

As reported by the Times, the lengthy statement was in response to its questions. The following quote explains why a commission created by Cuomo could not investigate Cuomo:

“A commission appointed by and staffed by the executive cannot investigate the executive. It is a pure conflict of interest and would not pass the laugh test.”

I might think Cuomo’s people had waded through the pages of the so-called Mastro report prepared by the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher for Christie. New Jersey’s governor commissioned his own investigation of what happened within his office in the time before and after the closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge last September.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher already has billed the state for more than $3 million, which includes work on the Mastro report. Many people, including me, have described the report as a whitewash. Cuomo’s laugh-meter assessment of a self-directed investigation is spot on. Christie may dance with Jimmy Fallon, but Cuomo knows comedy. But that does not give Cuomo a pass if he thwarted the efforts of his own commission.

Corruption needs to be rooted out of government. That is true in New Jersey and in New York. The political fallout in New York from The New York Times piece is unknown. It should be a boon for New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino. In polls, Cuomo is leading the Republican by more than 30 points. Astorino publicly complained earlier this week that Christie, as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is campaigning and raising money for Republican gubernatorial candidates across the country, but doing nothing in the New York race.

Christie, in his usual reticent fashion, said the RGA doesn’t invest in lost causes, basically kicking the New York Republican squarely in the Astorino. New Yorkers – even one presumably fated to lose big in November – don’t take that silently. Astorino lashed back at Christie and he also wants an investigation into Cuomo and his now-defunct corruption commission.

New Jersey’s governor is unlikely to change course with regard to Astorino. Whether it is because the November race is indeed a lost cause or whether it is because Christie doesn’t want to take on Cuomo is a matter of debate. Cuomo has been mostly silent throughout the George Washington Bridge scandal. His top man at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Executive Director Pat Foye, has been more than capable of carrying the New York banner to a point. Foye reversed the lane closures and enjoys bi-state support for his leadership.

But the questions of how the Port Authority was allowed to operate as it did for years have not been answered. Christie’s people may be the ones in the spotlight at the moment, but someone needs to explain how Port Authority money found its way into places like the Museum of Modern Art. If the Port Authority Bus Terminal could have changed its initials fromPABT to MoMA maybe there never would have been rubber hoses dangling from the ceiling into buckets in the terminal concourses.

Cuomo, like Christie, came to his governor’s desk, promising to fight corruption. The creation of a commission to identify where the problems exist was great politics. Killing the commission – which Cuomo did – was not so politically smart, but given the lack of any Republican candidate with a solid chance of winning in November, Cuomo’s risks were few. The Times may have changed those odds. Astorino may find voters are at least interested in what he has to offer. Time will tell.

But why a very hands-on governor has been so publicly removed from the mess at the Port Authority remains a mystery. The fact that “hands-on governor” is an apt description of both Christie and Cuomo makes this more of a puzzle. Christie should have prevented the closures and Cuomo should have been outraged. I am not a fan of conspiracy theories. Christie is a conservative Republican; Cuomo is a liberal Democrat. Both are pragmatic politicians. Something still doesn’t add up.

Cuomo’s position that a self-created commission cannot credibly investigate his office is accurate. But that doesn’t mean his office should have been off-limits; it is a compelling reason for an independent body to do the digging. Christie’s Mastro report has been much derided because after reading it, it is hard to accept that its writers were charged to look everywhere.

Deal-making is very much a part of politics. Smart players know how to get as close to the ethical chalk line as possible without crossing it. Many a disgraced politician’s fate was sealed the moment there was “chalk under their shoes,” to borrow a phrase from former Gov. Brendan Byrne.

Maybe someday Christie and Cuomo will lift up their feet and the public will know with certainty if their soles are clean. Creating a corruption commission that is prevented from investigating corruption makes as much sense as hiring a commission to objectively investigate yourself.

Christie and Cuomo aren’t that far apart, it would appear. Maybe that is why they are connected by that infamous bridge.

Doblin: Mastro report was supposed to be funny

Alfred P. Doblin is the editorial page editor of The Record. Contact him at doblin@northjersey.com. Follow AlfredPDoblin on Twitter.

The explosive e-mails and text messages, obtained and first reported by The Record, sparked a political firestorm that extended far beyond New Jersey and Fort Lee. For full coverage, click here.

GOVERNOR Christie can’t be laughing. That is assuming he read at least part of an exhaustive article in The New York Times on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s commission to investigate corruption in state government.

The crux of the Times article was that Cuomo did not give his self-created commission free rein. Some doors were closed and those doors often led to the governor. Not being an expert on New York politics or the workings of Albany or Cuomo’s front office, I cannot comment on whether the Times piece is a fair representation of the three. But a quote from a statement sent from Cuomo’s office to The New York Times cannot be ignored.

As reported by the Times, the lengthy statement was in response to its questions. The following quote explains why a commission created by Cuomo could not investigate Cuomo:

“A commission appointed by and staffed by the executive cannot investigate the executive. It is a pure conflict of interest and would not pass the laugh test.”

I might think Cuomo’s people had waded through the pages of the so-called Mastro report prepared by the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher for Christie. New Jersey’s governor commissioned his own investigation of what happened within his office in the time before and after the closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge last September.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher already has billed the state for more than $3 million, which includes work on the Mastro report. Many people, including me, have described the report as a whitewash. Cuomo’s laugh-meter assessment of a self-directed investigation is spot on. Christie may dance with Jimmy Fallon, but Cuomo knows comedy. But that does not give Cuomo a pass if he thwarted the efforts of his own commission.

Corruption needs to be rooted out of government. That is true in New Jersey and in New York. The political fallout in New York from The New York Times piece is unknown. It should be a boon for New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino. In polls, Cuomo is leading the Republican by more than 30 points. Astorino publicly complained earlier this week that Christie, as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is campaigning and raising money for Republican gubernatorial candidates across the country, but doing nothing in the New York race.

Christie, in his usual reticent fashion, said the RGA doesn’t invest in lost causes, basically kicking the New York Republican squarely in the Astorino. New Yorkers – even one presumably fated to lose big in November – don’t take that silently. Astorino lashed back at Christie and he also wants an investigation into Cuomo and his now-defunct corruption commission.

New Jersey’s governor is unlikely to change course with regard to Astorino. Whether it is because the November race is indeed a lost cause or whether it is because Christie doesn’t want to take on Cuomo is a matter of debate. Cuomo has been mostly silent throughout the George Washington Bridge scandal. His top man at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Executive Director Pat Foye, has been more than capable of carrying the New York banner to a point. Foye reversed the lane closures and enjoys bi-state support for his leadership.

But the questions of how the Port Authority was allowed to operate as it did for years have not been answered. Christie’s people may be the ones in the spotlight at the moment, but someone needs to explain how Port Authority money found its way into places like the Museum of Modern Art. If the Port Authority Bus Terminal could have changed its initials fromPABT to MoMA maybe there never would have been rubber hoses dangling from the ceiling into buckets in the terminal concourses.

Cuomo, like Christie, came to his governor’s desk, promising to fight corruption. The creation of a commission to identify where the problems exist was great politics. Killing the commission – which Cuomo did – was not so politically smart, but given the lack of any Republican candidate with a solid chance of winning in November, Cuomo’s risks were few. The Times may have changed those odds. Astorino may find voters are at least interested in what he has to offer. Time will tell.

But why a very hands-on governor has been so publicly removed from the mess at the Port Authority remains a mystery. The fact that “hands-on governor” is an apt description of both Christie and Cuomo makes this more of a puzzle. Christie should have prevented the closures and Cuomo should have been outraged. I am not a fan of conspiracy theories. Christie is a conservative Republican; Cuomo is a liberal Democrat. Both are pragmatic politicians. Something still doesn’t add up.

Cuomo’s position that a self-created commission cannot credibly investigate his office is accurate. But that doesn’t mean his office should have been off-limits; it is a compelling reason for an independent body to do the digging. Christie’s Mastro report has been much derided because after reading it, it is hard to accept that its writers were charged to look everywhere.

Deal-making is very much a part of politics. Smart players know how to get as close to the ethical chalk line as possible without crossing it. Many a disgraced politician’s fate was sealed the moment there was “chalk under their shoes,” to borrow a phrase from former Gov. Brendan Byrne.

Maybe someday Christie and Cuomo will lift up their feet and the public will know with certainty if their soles are clean. Creating a corruption commission that is prevented from investigating corruption makes as much sense as hiring a commission to objectively investigate yourself.

Christie and Cuomo aren’t that far apart, it would appear. Maybe that is why they are connected by that infamous bridge.